Combined can opener and pouring device



Dec. 17, 1963 w. HJSAUTER 3,114,480

COMBINED CAN OPENER AND POURING DEVICE Filed Nov. 18, 1960 ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,114,480 COMBINED CAN OPENER AND POURING DEVICEWalter H. Sauter, 11 Fernley Ave., London, Ontario, Canada Filed Nov.18, 1960, Ser. No. 70,339 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-90) This invention relatesto a device for making an opening in a can and providing a pouringspout.

This is a continuation-in-part of United States application 688,664,filed October 7th, 1957, now abandoned.

Previously proposed devices of the type described have suffered fromvarious disadvantages. The device will not readily penetrate the can, oronce the can has been penetrated the device does not remain securely inposition with the result that there is leakage, or the device does notpermit the full extraction of the contents of the can. In additionpreviously proposed devices have been unduly costly to fabricate.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which will overcomethe foregoing disadvantages.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention a combined can opener,pouring device and closure comprising a cylindrically shaped penetratingmember, a clamping and edge shaping member encircling said penetratingmember, said clamping and edge shaping member comprising a flange shapedto provide a single turn of a screw thread, a sleeve for saidpenetrating member and clamping and edge shaping member, said sleeveincluding a closure and having an annular sealing skirt having a bearingportion adapted to bear on the surface of the can being opened and beingspaced from said flange to provide a fulcrum action, the flange thatforms said screw thread extending from below the level of said bearingportion to above the level of said bearing portion to create a tightclosure and to deform the edge of an aperture in said can outwardly withrespect to the interior of the can, said penetrating member having atleast one passage at the upper end of the portion of the penetratingmember which is adapted to be inserted within the can for the passage ofthe contents of the can from outside the penetrating member to withinthe penetrating member.

In accordance with this invention in another aspect a device of the typedescribed comprising a unitary metal strip formed as a cylinder andshaped to provide a point for penetrating a can and a flange along partof the lower edge of said strip spaced from said point, said flangeproviding part of a screw thread and being adapted to engage the edge ofan aperture in a can made by said point and to deform said edgeoutwardly, a sleeve having a handgrip, a bore to engage with thecylindrically formed metal strip to enable the contents of the can to beextracted, and having an annular skirt at its lower edge spaced fromsaid cylindrically formed metal strip to give a seal and to permitdeformation of the edge of said can.

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of thisinvention:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a sheet of metal partially stamped toillustrate the manner in which one component of a device in accordancewith this invention is manufactured.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing a further stagein the fabrication of said component.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view corresponding to FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the component shown in FIGURES l to 3but illustrating a later stage in its fabrication.

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the component shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an elevation view partially in section of a device inaccordance with this invention shown with a closure cap in closedposition.

FIGURE 7 is partially a sectional elevation view on the line 7-7 ofFIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIGURE 6 butillustrated with its closure cap in open position.

FIGURE 9 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in FIGURE 6.

The drawings illustrate a device for opening a can and providing apouring device comprising a penetrating and clamping and edge shapingmember generally indicated at 10, a sleeve including grip means and asealing skirt generally indicated at 11, and a removable cap shown at12.

As illustrated by FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 the penetrating and clamping andedge shaping member 10 can readily be stamped from a strip of metal. InFIGURE 1, strip 13 is cut to provide curved edge 14 which defines thelower edge of said member 10. The upper edge 15 of said member 10 isdefined by a cut indicated by dotted line 16 which defines also thelower edge of an adjacent blank for said member 10. Apertures 17 and 18are provided adjacent to but spaced from penetrating point 19 tofacilitate flow from the exterior to the interior of said member 10during pouring. A struck up portion 20 assists in securing said member10 against rotation in sleeve 11 and projection 21 further providesagainst rotation and is subsequently embedded in sleeve 11 to preventaccidental withdrawal of said member 10 from sleeve 11. The lower edge14 of the blank is bent as illustrated in FIG URES 2 and 3 to provide aflange 22 which commences at 23 spaced from penetrating point 19 and hasa narrow starting area 24 and a wider portion 25 so as to result insubstantially a single turn of a screw thread.

The blank illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 is formed as a cylinder withpreferably slightly more than half a turn of overlap and with end 26being lapped outside end 27 as illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The extreme portion of end 26 is bent inwardly as shown at 28 and theextreme edge of flange 25 is bent upwardly as shown at 29 prior to theformation of the structure shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. Bending portion 28inwardly facilitates the provision of a tight wrap around structure whenFIGURE 4 is formed. Bending portion 29 upwardly contributes to theprovision of a stop to limit the extent to which the device can berotated during its insertion into a can.

Sleeve component 11 can be integrally moulded from synthetic resin andcomprises a generally cylindrical portion 30 providing a bore 31 toreceive said member 10. The upper part 32 of bore 31 is of reducedinterior diameter to provide a back stop when point 19 is being driveninto a can. The upper part 32 is also of reduced exterior diameter togive a seat for cap 12. At the lower end of sleeve component 11 there isan annular sealing skirt 33 which seals and also is a fulcrum duringdeformation of the edge of an aperture in a can. Skirt 33 is spaced frommember 10 to leave room for flange 22 and the deformed edge of anaperture in a can. Bore 34 acts as a vent hole while the contents of acan are being poured through bore 32. At 35 a socket is formed to engagea retainer strip 36 of cap 12, sleeve 11 also includes wings 37 whichafford a convenient hand grip. A stop member 38 is moulded as part ofsleeve 11 and is abutted by upwardly bent portion 29 of flange 22 so asto limit the rotation of the device. The upward bending of portion 29prevents the edge of the aperture in a can from riding over stop 38. Thestop prevents over turning of the device which might otherwise have aloosening effect.

In operation the device is pressed with point 19 against the centre ofthe top of a can and when an aperture has been made, the device isrotated in a clockwise direction about three-quarters of a turn untilthe stop is reached. At this stage about a quarter to half of the edgeof the aperture in a can 40 will have been outwardly deformed and willbe engaged by flange 22. This enables the contents of the can to becompletely emptied without waste and also the natural springiness of thematerial from which the can is made is utilized to maintain a tight sealbetween lip 33 and the top of can 40. The device can readily be removedfrom the can by being turned counterclockwise.

I claim:

A device for opening a can and providing a pouring spout comprising aunitary metal strip formed as a cylinder and shaped to provide a pointfor penetrating a can and a flange along part of the lower edge of saidstrip spaced from said point, said flange providing part of a screwthread and being adapted to engage the edge of an aperture in a can madeby said point and to deform said edge outwardly, a stop means at the endof said flange adapted to engage the edge of the aperture of said canand to limit the rotation of said device in a tightening direction ofsaid screw thread to part of a turn, a sleeve having a handgrip, a boreto engage with the cylindrically formed metal strip to enable thecontents of the can to be extracted, and having an annular skirt at itslower edge spaced from said cylindrically formed metal strip to give aseal and to permit deformation of the edge of the aperture of said can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

